Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Magic in Vermont: the Old Spokes Home

Over the weekend, a bunch of us (it was actually an entire delegation) made our way from Boston, MA to Burlington, VT for the New England Randonneurs Vermont Fall Classic. The ride was to begin early in the morning on Sunday, and since Burlington is quite a distance away most of us arrived the day before. There are many interesting things to do in the area, but the destination I truly wanted to visit was the Old Spokes Home. When I described it to my companions Bikeyface and Vorpalchortle, they agreed that we must see it immediately.

Rolling into town in the pouring rain, we headed straight for the legendary establishment while there was still daylight to be had.

So what is the Old Spokes Home? Oh what indeed. To call it a bike shop is not sufficiently descriptive, though it is that too. But it is also a local hangout, a museum, a piece of history in the making. It is a place that is guaranteed to make bicycle lovers happy. That last bit happened to us within moments of approaching its gingerbread house-like exterior.

Overgrown with vegetation and stray bicycle parts, the "come-hither" energy was quite strong.

It is as if someone unleashed the power of their imagination on the place without holding back.

The bicycles parked in the gravel driveway coyly hinted at what awaited within. Upside-down North Roads. Mismatched frames and forks. Fenders and fixed gears. Holding our breath in anticipation, we rushed inside.

In the initial moments I hardly knew where to look. There was just so much of it that my eyes could not focus. Classic racing bikes peeked out from behind modern inventory.

Though I had glimpsed a couple of Rene Herse bicycles in person prior to this, those experiences paled in comparison. The bicycle at the Old Spokes Home was at once so well-preserved, so classically Rene Herse-ish and so accessible, that I was beside myself. Could I touch it? Yes. And so I did. All over!

One thing that struck me about this bicycle, was how relatively plain it looked by today's standards of custom builds. It wasn't any one thing that created this impression, but the sum of the parts. In person, the bike did not stand out, but disappeared into itself - into the strong visual logic that dominated it. In that sense, the vintage Herse reminded me more of my modern roadbike than it did of classic constructeur-inspired designs.

As I mulled this over, the owner of Old Spokes arrived - Mr. Glenn Eames. We recognised each other and there was much delight. Glenn was on his way to the Fat Chance party that was being held nearby, but I am glad to have gotten the chance to meet him. Had I made my way upstairs, he asked? I was just heading there.

The upstairs of the Old Spokes Home contains a small museum of vintage and antique bicycles. The collection is labeled, catalogued, and part of it is viewable online. But nothing compares to seeing it all in person.

It is difficult to photograph in the densely occupied attic space, but basically there are several pen-like enclosures behind which the oldest machines are kept. Others are hung from the ceiling. The oldest specimen in the collection is an 1868 Calvin Whitty Velocipede, and there are hundreds of antique machines on display showing the development of the bicycle as we know it.

While my personal interest in antiques is limited, I could not help but marvel at the sight of bicycle history unfolding in front of my eyes.

Bikeyface felt much the same.

Entranced by the magic of it, the three of us wandered around in a daze.

And I especially enjoyed seeing some of the early step-through frames with lightweight dressguard and chaincase solutions. The earliest lady's frame on display is an 1899 Gormully & Jeffery Roadster, which I really would not mind taking for a spin.

Others wandered in and out of the museum while we were there, and the bicycle that impressed new visitors the most seemed to be this 3-person tandem -

- with its enormous rear chainring. I did not have a chance to ask about this bike and I do not see it listed in the collection, but some have suggested that the purpose of the large chainring was for the bike to be paced by a train - much as Charles "Mile-a-Minute" Murphy did by drafting behind a Long Island Rail Road boxcar.

Deeper within the attic are aisles of vintage bicycles that are available for sale.

Some are refurbished, others not. "This is an antique, not an everyday rider," warned a label attached to a machine with a spoon brake.

But most of the vintage vintage 3-speeds for sale would make excellent everyday riders in a small college town such as Burlington, VT. I was impressed to see how many there were on offer.

In part because of the Fall Classic brevet the following morning, and in part because of the Fat Chance party, the Old Spokes was a popular place that afternoon. Local framebuilder Hubert D’Autremont stopped by. His work has garnered some attention at the Oregon Manifest and Cirque du Cyclisme lately, and I've been following it with interest.

As we made our way back downstairs, Fall Classic organiser Mike Beganyi stopped by to drop off some supplies for the following morning. The Old Spokes Home would serve as the start and the finish for the event.

I was glad to learn that the owner Glenn would be taking part in the ride, as well as many of the Old Spokes staff.

We were excited to meet such a nice group of local cyclists, and they were excited to learn that so many of us (I think it must have been over a dozen total) were making our way from Boston despite the downpour that was being forecasted for the entire weekend.

With all the coming and going, meeting and greeting, the atmosphere in the shop felt dynamic and warm, but I don't want to leave out the business side of things. Far from focusing on just exhibiting antiques, the Old Spokes is a fully stocked modern bike shop and repair shop. Burlington has experienced a boom in transportation cycling over the past several years, and the Old Spokes does a brisk trade in repairs and sales. The mechanics station is surprisingly large and busy for such a small town and it was exciting to see the sheer variety of customers' bikes that were up on the stands.

As far as new bikes, the Old Spokes Home carries floor models from Surly, Salsa, Brompton, Yuba and others. They are also an Independent Fabrications dealer. What impressed me the most was their enormous selection of Surly Pugsleys. In Boston, a bike shop might have one hanging up somewhere just for show, and a request to get it down tends to elicit surprise. Here, there were maybe a dozen of these things, ready and waiting to be ridden and bought. I imagine the Vermont winters might have something to do with the Pugsley's popularity!

It was also great to see a Velo Orange Polyvalent that belonged to one of the mechanics. All of the Old Spokes staff seem to ride interesting or unusual bikes.

With the evening upon us, it was soon time to check into our lodgings, and so reluctantly we bid the Old Spokes Home good-bye. We would be back for the brevet the following morning, but honestly it would take a dedicated visit lasting days if not weeks to really look through all the vintage and antique bikes they have stashed in there. My biggest regret is that I did not get to see the Hetchinses and the Flying Scotts (yes, plural), but maybe some other time.

If you like bicycles and find yourself anywhere near Burlington, Vermont, to say that the Old Spokes Home is worth a visit is an understatement. From the extensiveness of the vintage collection, to the warmth and knowledgeability of the staff, to the interesting selection of contemporary bicycles on the floor available to test ride, the Old Spokes can be a travel destination in of itself. This bright, happy, magical place was truly a highlight of our weekend. A sincere thank you to everyone who showed us around and made us feel so welcome! More pictures of the shop and museum here.

Maybe the front rack, but that's not a RH rack.Maybe the fenders, but they get replaced like tires do. If you ever get a chance to go over a French bike this old you will see how many approximately familiar parts, like Lyotard 36 pedals for example, were handmade, benchbuilt, one-at-a-time and very tough. Even 60s PX-10s will have more solid parts than you might imagine.

Funny, I'm just planning my final tour of the year for mid-October, with the first day being Montreal-Burlington. The Old Spokes Home was very high on my to-do list. And after reading this post I'm even more excited!

During a recent ride, I was daydreaming about what type of bike I would be riding if a time warp suddenly transported me back to the 1950s. Initially I imagined it would be a Schwinn Paramount or maybe a Raleigh Lenton. This post nailed it. Rene Herse for sure.What an amazing store. Reminds me that I have a good buddy living in Burlington. A visit is long overdue.

The three person tandem, more commonly known as a triplet, was used to pace riders around the track. As riders got stronger and faster there was a need for four, five, six and even ten rider bicycles. They were finally eclipsed by motor pacing machines as the weight of the riders and the machines produced diminishing returns for the riders they were pacing.

I have yet to visit The Old Spokes Home and hope to get there someday.

Well I'll be ! I lived in the Burlington area for 15 years 1989-2003 and I never heard of this "legendary" establishment. In defense of my pathetic ignorance, I was not so into bicycles as I am now, but wow! What a gem of a place. I was in Burlington this past May (we cycled entirely around Lake Champlain starting and ending in Colchester. My journal and photos can be found on crazyguyonabike.com) and never knew it. Next time, for sure. Thanks for the enlightenment!

This post was a treat to read. I bought my 2010 Surly Crosscheck from Glenn a little over a year ago, and it was a great pleasure to do business with the folks at Old Spokes. Now I'm tempted to buy that Raleigh Tourist they have listed...shhh. ;)

Your photos are great - true, the website photos don't convey the full extent of the collection!

What a great writeup! As a former mechanic for a few years at the OSH, I gotta say you really did an amazing job of portraying the vibe and energy of the space. I miss the days of rebuilding a Sturmey Archer hub only to be followed by a modern-day road bike tuneup and then maybe a wheel build. You never know what to expect at the place, though it's a safe bet that you'll be fascinated.

Approaching my 1-year anniversary of not working in the cycling industry, I couldn't be happier to have been part of the OSH and had made some great friends along the way. Friends that I still see every week whether it be for beers or bikes (or both). Be sure to come back and visit!

Oh, I remember that, too. Sturmey Archer's are a joy to rebuild, so much better than Shimano's! This shop sounds like the one I worked in durning college. Eight mechanics keeping busy maintaining so, so many bikes...Never a dull moment!

@Velouria rare indeed, though I found pulling them apart to be quite therapeutic and very rewarding! Of course, having a nice stock of new & used Sturmey parts certainly helps. And I agree w/ Anonymous, the only Shimano hubs I liked rebuilding were of the Nexus variety.

Glad you guys had such a good time. I actually did a dropout replacement on that tandem, and boy was it a challenge! Just moving the thing around. Sorry I wasn't around in the evening to show you the shop. You will have to come back up and see more of the riding and great bike culture Burlington has to offer.HHd'A

I hadn't actually, no - will check them out. Do you get over to the UK very often?

By the way, the main pic I can't help noticing is a Penny Farthing. We did a piece on their revival in the UK recently, which includes some madman setting up a Penny Farthing delivery service in Cornwall... It takes all types!

The Rene Herse is a lovely machine, but "all original" it isn't. The adjustable front rack is quite different from the elegant custom racks Herse made. Not that this detracts from the bike, and your description of it, being sparse and not over-the-top, is quite accurate.

Walking around on Saturday night, it seemed like the whole town was on 2 wheels - lovely women, and men, and those who do not wish to identify themselves with a gender. On our way home after dinner we saw a woman doing an awesome dismount from her tall bike that I wish I'd captured.

Despite the work that it takes to organize the brevet series seeing folks truly enjoying themselves on their bicycles in our fair state makes it all worthwhile. I do hope you'll come back to ride in VT again next year. I think I can convince Hubert to host us for the Saturday night meetup next year.

I really worry about the security of that place. There have been high-profile cases recently of unscrupulous people using the internet to find the location of even one valuable bicycle (such as people who post all their rides to Strava, including a list of all their bikes, and the site itself reveals your house location, if don't you set your privacy parameters accordingly), let alone a massive treasure trove of them.

I'd be concerned. All my rides that I post start within 2 miles of my house, no closer. I've been tempted to record rides on My Tracks but don't want to want to publish routes to my house. Not that I own the nicest collection of bicycles.

UVA is The University of Virginia. The University of Vermont is UVM. The initials UVM stand for the Latin words Universitas Viridis Montis, or University of the Green Mountains.As a graduate, x3, I had to point that out. The explosion of bicycle culture there is amazing considering college hill and the weather, in general.

Yes, I think we are proud of our state as a whole and our cycling culture in particular up here in the sparsely populated wilds of Vermont and it feels really good to be seen. Reading your post makes me realize that I sort of take the Old Spokes Home for granted. It is a gem, and an unlikely one at that. Somewhat unlikely as well, the nearby Alpine Shop features Velo Orange frames and equipment and copies of Bicycle Quarterly on display in a glass case.

Perhaps the terrain and endless dirt road makes us naturally gravitate towards the highly versatile bikes typified in a kitted out randonneuring machine.

Hm. Interesting to note the Herse's rack precludes the carried weight to be behind the front axle, yet I've seen a few modern interpretations in the manner of the pictured VO avec porteur to cantilever far out over it, as if that is a good idea.

what a herse! i looked at the pic again and again, it's quite hypnotic, hard to explain - one keeps on seeing different visual balance in it. the big snag is that in the unlikely event of ever owning something like it, i'd find it impossible to use it.

Great to see Old Spokes Home written up here. I met and travelled with Glenn and partner Mary a few years ago (27?). Made it to Burlington last year and was able to bring my kids and get Glenn's 50 cent tour. He will appreciate the irony of my son riding for Jacks Bicycle shop team this year!

We here in ABQ, NM had our own equivalent or superlative of the OSH -- in size of collection if not in viewer-friendliness -- in Dick "Call me Mr" Hallet's collection, adjunct to the now defunct World Champion Bicycles. Beside have a repro Ordinary on display in his lot, a '40s Urgo or Heylett or somesuch hanging near the entrance of his store, and a concourse-quality boneshaker on the shop floor with the Diamond Backs and Treks, he had a little warehouse down the street full -- packed -- with weird, neat old stuff dating back through the '50s (one of Reg Harris's track bikes) to the 1890s. Hell, he showed me a NOS Cyclo rd, 600 grams of pristine ironmongery. I don't know what became of his collection when he closed shop about 10 years ago, but he did claim that the Smithsonian was after some of his collection.

Not sure if anyone has heard of the Pedaling History Museum in Orchard Park NY. It contains one of the largest and most remarkable bike collections in the U.S., include many of the earliest models. It closed in 2009 but for awhile remained accessible by appointment only. This past year the owner Mr. Burgwardt passed away. Its a bit of a mystery what will become of this collection. I hope it remains here in U.S. and becomes accessible to the public once again.

Found this. Shows some of the museum:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoap4qPemgU

Hope this doesn't come across as being too prying and personal, but I can't resist asking:Is there a chance that Bikeyface and Vorpalchortle may be shopping for a tandem?It's just that they look so cute together.

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